Diverted
by Anonymous Skrtle
Summary: Sometimes, all it takes is just one person to take away all you've ever loved and cared for. When James Diamond is abducted one night, it is up to his three best friends to uncover the truth.
1. Assaulted

**Chapter 1**

Logan Mitchell was frozen.

Chills covered his body from head to toe. His pale skin whitened under the red and white plaid shirt plastered on his body. He trembled and shivered from the cold autumn wind and from the sight in front of him.

Logan Mitchell had never been more terrified in his life.

Because in front of him, a figure lay unconscious, beaten, defeated.

But that wasn't the worst of it; that figure was his best friend.

Logan collapsed to his knees.

The day had been normal. The four boys had struggled through another rehearsal at the studio. They had gone out to eat at Fun Burger.

When they got home was where things took a turn for the worst.

James had told Kendall, Logan, and Carlos he was going to try and get Lucy to date him. This would have been his 26th try; Logan had counted it, and he had pointed it out to James.

James only shrugged it off. He strolled out the door of their apartment home 2J, and that was the last anyone saw of James.

Until now.

Logan was frozen. He couldn't move, no matter how hard he willed himself to. He needed to call the police. James needed help.

But all he could see was his best friend's body, bleeding and bruised and broken, where someone, whoever had done this to James, had painted a picture of a diamond on his forehead.

And Logan was positive the diamond on James's forehead wasn't washable Crayola paint, but the metallic-tasting, red liquid blood of James Diamond.

Then his hands moved. His fingers reached for his phone, scrambled inside his back pocket. They dialed three numbers he'd never thought he'd ever have to dial. That sentence he'd thought he'd never have to hear.

"911, what is your emergency?"

_line line line_

The sound of ear-piercing sirens snapped Kendall Knight out of his lazy position on the soft orange sofa of 2J.

He jumped up and ran to the window. Sure enough, ambulances were piling up near the dumpster side of the building. Paramedics hurried with their white, ghost-colored gurneys, all heading towards the back of a particularly large dumpster.

Kendall furrowed his bushy eyebrows together. Palm Woods was a small place; Kendall knew everyone in the Palm Woods. It was very likely he knew the victim of whatever had happened out there.

A boy stood next to the paramedics, apparently freaking out. Kendall couldn't tell who it was; he just knew that he probably knew who it was too.

"Hey, Carlos!" Kendall called out to the smaller boy. The Latino looked up from reading his cartoon comic. "Check it out... one of the Palm Woods residents is hurt."

Carlos widened his eyes and scrambled towards the window Kendall was standing at. He looked down at the chaos. Now police were coming out of their vehicles, looking around. "Woah!" Carlos breathed out, eyes wide with awe. Then he turned towards Kendall. "Do you think they'll be okay?" He asked with a concerned voice.

Kendall sighed. "I don't really know. Maybe." He shrugged.

Just then, his cell phone buzzed inside his pocket. He reached for it while looking out the window.

The boy standing in the midst of all those paramedics was also holding a phone up to his ear.

Kendall shook his head; of course the kid would be calling someone.

But then he looked at his caller ID. It was Logan.

"Hello?"

Logan's breathing was hard on the other side. "Kendall? K-Kendall?" His voice sounded squeaky, scared, fearful.

Kendall gulped. Logan was one to panic frequently, but Kendall hadn't remembered ever hearing him so scared. "Logan? What's wrong, dude?" Carlos turned his head to Kendall, eyes wide.

"I-It's James, Kendall... he's going to the hospital. Someone... someone hurt him, Kendall."

Kendall froze. Chills covered him up and down. He looked down, out the window.

That boy was Logan. And the boy who was being carried away on a gurney was his best friend.

James.

Kendall felt a soft nudge on his shoulder. "Kendall? What... What's wrong?" Carlos asked, his voice shaking a little.

Kendall took a breath. "It's James and Logan out there. We gotta get to the hospital."

_line line line_

"It's gonna be okay, it's gonna be okay..." Kendall whispered to himself, stabbing the keys into the engine and starting the ignition.

"It has to be okay."

Carlos watched him worriedly, and his mother and little sister Katie were sitting in the back, faces pale.

"Kendall, sweetie? Are you sure you don't want me to drive?" Mrs. Knight asked gently.

Kendall shook his head. "No, no... I'm fine. James is fine. Everything's fine. Everything is fine." He took a few deep, calming breaths before reversing the car and pulling out of the parking lot.

No one else said a word.

The ambulances and police cars and fire trucks had pulled out of the Palm Woods by the time Kendall had gotten his family and Carlos together and into the car. Kendall's hands shook a little, but he kept the wheel steady.

Wouldn't do them and James any good if they got into a crash on the way to the hospital, right?

Kendall laughed bitterly at that. Carlos turned to look at him, confused. "Are... are you okay, Kendall?" He asked meekly.

Kendall scoffed. "Yeah. Of course I'm okay... I'm totally fine. Don't worry." He answered curtly. Carlos bit his lip and sat back in his seat, a sad frown on his face.

The rest of the ride was silent, other than Kendall's loud breathing. They got to the hospital in about 10 minutes. Kendall practically jumped out of the car when he'd parked.

The other three passengers got out slowly after him. Kendall tapped his foot impatiently and locked the door right after Katie slammed her door shut. He turned and paced towards the entrance of the hospital.

Mrs. Knight sighed and shook her head. Katie hurried after Kendall, half because she was worried about James too and half because she wanted to slow her older brother down. Carlos turned to Mrs. Knight.

"Why is he acting like that? Is he okay?" He asked worriedly.

Mrs. Knight sighed again. "He's just... he's just in denial a little, sweetie. He's just in a little shock about this whole James thing. Don't worry, okay?" She told Carlos gently.

Carlos nodded obediently. "Okay..."

The two hurried to catch up with Kendall and Katie.

_line line line_

Logan paced back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. The stuffy waiting room was filled with empty white plastic chairs. There was no one in sight except for him and the nurse at the desk. Why wasn't Kendall here yet? Why weren't they telling him anything about James? Why was-

"Logan!" The smart boy turned around quickly, almost losing his balance. It was Kendall, with a tired looking Katie stumbling in after him. He breathed out a sigh of relief.

"Kendall? I- they're not telling me anything about James... but the last I saw him... he was still alive." Kendall's face paled at that.

"Oh my gosh... oh my god. What... what happened to him?" Kendall asked. His mind had cleared a little; he had to take control again. His best friend was hurt; he had no time to freak out and panic. It would do no one any good.

"That's what we'd like to know too." The two boys and Katie turned around at the voice. A man about 6 feet tall stood in front of them. His blonde hair was darkened by the black suit and black sunglasses he wore. Kendall and Katie glanced at each other.

He seemed to sense their suspicion. He reached his hand out to Logan. "Hi, I'm Detective Josiah Borg. We're here to investigate the assault on Mr. James Diamond, and we would like to talk to the witness here about what happened." The man introduced himself, pulling out his badge for proof.

Logan shook the man's hand hesitantly. "I'm Logan. I'm... I'm the witness, right?"

The man nodded. "Yes. Could you tell us what happened from start to end?"

Logan nodded, his face paling a little. "Yeah, sure. If... If it helps catch whoever did this to James."

Just then, Mrs. Knight and Carlos came walking in, the former relieved to see her son had calmed down. Josiah turned to them. "Hello, I would assume you are James Diamond's parent or guardian?" He asked Mrs. Knight formally.

The woman nodded. "Yes, I am his guardian. Are you here to talk to Logan?"

Josiah nodded. "Yes. The details he will provide us with will be very beneficial to helping find James's assaulter." The word echoed in everyone's mind. James had been attacked, assaulted.

Logan nodded. "I understand. Can... can we talk in private?" He asked nervously. Kendall raised his eyebrows.

Detective Borg nodded. "Of course. There's a room especially reserved for us in case you wanted this to stay between you and the professionals." He explained.

Logan nodded in acceptance. "Can my friend come too?" He asked, motioning at Kendall. The detective looked at both of them.

Finally, he nodded. "Yes. As long as he keeps the information discussed confidential until further notice."

Kendall nodded, determined to find out what had happened to James. "I promise I'll keep the stuff between us. Now let's go."

_line line line_

"So, Logan, start from the beginning of today. Every single tiny detail you can think about of James, tell me. Got it?" Josiah asked. Logan nodded and took a deep breath. Kendall bit his nails nervously.

"We woke up at about 7:30. James took 20 minutes in the bathroom as he always does. We went to Rocque Records to rehearse for our upcoming album. James acted like he always does. We ended rehearsal at about noon, and we headed to Fun Burger's to eat lunch."

"We got home at about 2 and played dome hockey for a while. Then James told me he was going to ask this girl out on a date, Lucy Stone. She's always rejecting him and this was his 26th attempt at trying to get her to date him. So James left the apartment after spraying a bunch of his Cuda spray on. That was about 5:30. We thought nothing of it. Nothing of it..." Logan trailed off, eyes blanking a little.

"Logan? Dude, it's okay, just keep going, you're doing great." Kendall urged him on. Logan shook his head and continued.

"Yeah. Sorry. So... um, he hadn't come back for quite a while, and I doubted Lucy actually was on a date with him. I had nothing else to do, so I headed out to look for him. That was about 7, and it was getting dark."

Josiah nodded. "What was James wearing when he headed out?"

Logan shrugged. "I... I can't really remember. He was wearing his favorite leather jacket and jeans... that's all I know."

The detective nodded. "That's alright. No jacket was found on the victim when paramedics boarded him onto the ambulance. Too much DNA evidence on it, probably." He told them.

Logan just looked down for a few seconds. "Yeah... that's what I would suspect. I checked the pool and lobby for James, but I didn't find him. I got caught up a little in a conversation with my girlfriend, Camille Roberts, that probably lasted for 15 minutes. By the time I made my way to the dumpster, it was probably 7:30."

"I... I don't know why I decided to check the dumpster. I really don't. Something just told me to go there and check, even though I was almost sure he wouldn't be there. James hates garbage; he's always worried about his hair and his face staying clean."

Logan bit his lip. "And... and then I saw him." He whispered. The room was silent. Josiah scribbled some things down on his notes.

Then he stood up. "Okay... thank you, Logan. That's all we need to know for now. Thanks for taking the time to do this. I'm really sorry about your friend." He nodded at the two and walked out of the room.

Logan stared off into space, a haunted look in his eyes. "Logan, are you okay?" Kendall asked, his voice hoarse. He was already shook up by the events, and there were still the horrific details Logan had not yet shared with him.

Logan shook his head a little. "I never want to see that again."

_line line line_

Carlos brought his knees up to his chest, burying his face in his arms. Everything had happened so fast, he didn't know what to think.

James had been hurt by someone horrible, Kendall had been freaking out, something that Kendall Knight _never_ did. Never. That's really all he knew at this point.

And the fact that Logan and Kendall had gone off to talk with the detective about James without Carlos. They had left without him.

Wasn't Carlos James's best friend too? Why didn't Logan think Carlos deserved to know what had happened too? Why did he only take Kendall? All four of them were best friends, right?

He looked up, bringing his legs back down. Katie was asleep on Mrs. Knight's shoulder. Mrs. Knight sighed to herself, the wrinkles around her eyes especially wrinkly. "Mama Knight?" He got out, his voice squeaking a little.

The older woman turned to him. "Yes, sweetie? Is there something wrong?"

Carlos was never one to keep secrets, especially if he was upset. "It's just... why did Logan only let Kendall listen to what happened to James? Aren't I his best friend too?" He asked sadly.

Mrs. Knight sighed. She set Katie down gently on her purse and scooted over to where Carlos sat. "Carlos, honey, it's not that. Logan's overwhelmed about all this. He doesn't want more people listening in than there has to be." She explained.

"Yeah, but... I'm James's best friend too." He got out bluntly.

Mrs. Knight wrapped her arm around Carlos. "Carlos, I know this is hard for you. I know James means a lot to you. But Logan just needs time to recover. I'm sure he'll tell you soon, maybe even right when he comes out."

Carlos sniffled, tears brewing in his eyes. "But why did he tell Kendall then?"

"Carlos, Logan was in shock. Kendall was the first person he thought of, so he asked for Kendall. I'm sure it was a fifty-fifty chance. Don't worry about it, okay? Kendall and Logan love you, Carlos; you guys are all best friends." Mrs. Knight assured Carlos.

Carlos just sniffled and leaned his head against Mrs. Knight's shoulder. Just then, the detective walked in, looking like he did before.

"Jennifer Knight?" The woman stood up, gently pushing Carlos's head off of her shoulder.

"Can I talk to you too?" He asked, just as Logan and Kendall walked out of the room. They both looked like they'd just been in a horror movie.

Mrs. Knight nodded firmly. "Of course, detective. What about?"

The detective looked at her. "About James's family."

**A/N- 3 STORIES AT ONE TIME?! I'm crazy, I know. But this has been on my mind for a while, and I've been planning it out for the past month or so. It's a James angst story, but it focuses equally on him and the three boys.**

**Anyways, I hope you guys really enjoyed, or enjoyed, this chapter. I hope I'll update soon, but you know me... Please review this chapter and tell me what you think though, okay? I need to know if anyone's gonna want me to update this story at all. Hehe.**

**Peace, Love, and Giraffes,**

**Anonymous Skrtle **


	2. Accused

**Chapter 2**

Mrs. Knight kept her composure calm; she didn't want to scare or alarm Katie or any of the boys. "James's family? What about them?"

The detective looked her straight in the eye. "Everything you know. About his parents, his siblings, grandparents, everything."

Mrs. Knight nodded. "I don't know much, except James has been through divorce 2 times. Once when he was 6, and another time when he was 14. Both times he stayed with his mother, though; he just switched fathers." She explained, being familiar with James's family life.

The detective nodded. "And is he living with a father now?"

"No, they're on their own right now. Brooke Diamond, James's mother, owns Diamond Cosmetics." Mrs. Knight told the detective. The detective merely nodded, scribbling something down on his notepad.

Kendall cleared his throat. Everyone turned to him. "I, um... could his fathers have had anything to do with this?" He asked, trying to keep his voice calm and firm.

The detective, Josiah, shrugged. It looked unprofessional on him. "We can't know for sure until we do some further investigating. We have to investigate everyone who has been or is close to James. They're the primary suspects." He explained.

Kendall noticed Logan looked a little pale. "Dude, you okay?" He asked quietly.

Logan gulped and didn't respond for a few seconds. "Do you... do you have to investigate... _us_ too?" He got out, his voice squeaky. The detective didn't meet his eye.

"I'm sorry, but yes, we'll need to know where all of you were at the time of James's assault."

Kendall looked at Logan. Carlos looked up at both of them. How could the detective suspect _them_ to have done this to James? They were James's best friends! They would never even think of hurting James.

"Mr. Borg, sir, I know my boys, and they would never have done something like this. They're best friends, detective." Mrs. Knight pleaded, her eyes sympathizing for her son and his friends. They were the best of friends. Accusing them of hurting each other was almost unimaginable.

The detective nodded sorrowfully. "I'm sorry, Mrs. Knight. It's procedure."

Kendall looked at Logan's pale face, at Carlos's frightened look. He wanted to punch that stupid man with the suit so hard right in the middle of his face. But instead, Kendall settled for glaring at him. Punching a detective would just make him look suspicious.

"Where were you boys at the time of James's assault, which is assumed to be some time before 7:30 pm, when he was found?" The detective began, getting his pencil ready.

Kendall looked up, trying to recall where he had been. It seemed such a long time ago. He glanced at the clock. 10:34. It had only been about four hours, but it felt like it had been years. "Carlos and I were at home, watching cartoons. My mother and sister were upstairs." Kendall told Josiah. The man just nodded.

"Okay. We will check in those alibis later. Where were you before James's assault? Did you guys do anything else that night?"

Kendall bit his lip, trying to remember. "I... I, uh, I went on a date with my girlfriend, Jo Taylor. We went to the Palm Woods Park and had a little fancy picnic. I came home at about 8."

The detective nodded and looked down towards Carlos, who was sitting down on a black plastic chair. "And what about you?" He asked sternly.

Carlos gulped and looked up at Kendall, who gave him an encouraging nod. "I was just at home. I-I didn't go anywhere!" He squeaked, wringing his hands together.

Josiah cleared his throat, his eyes softening a little bit at seeing how frightened the boy was. "Okay, thank you." He turned towards the older woman. "And you, Mrs. Knight?"

The woman stared back. "Katie and I had gone out shopping at about 5, and we came back at around 6." She explained. She bit her lip and stared down at the sleeping form of Katie.

"And you, Mr. Mitchell?" Logan, who had been staring off into space, blinked.

"I... I went over to my girlfriend, Camille's, apartment to practice lines with her. She's a drama freak, so she always practices with me since I'm her boyfriend. I left at 4 and came back at 6:30." Logan replied.

Josiah flipped his notebook shut, sitting down and crossing his legs. "Thank you, boys and Mrs. Knight. You've been very helpful today. We'll be sure to find out by tomorrow what we think. But just one more thing."

"What?" Kendall asked impatiently. He just wanted to get this over with. It was nerve-wrecking and he knew everyone else felt so too. "Tell me about Lucy Stone." He flipped his book open again.

Kendall looked at his mother. It was clear he was the one everyone expected to respond. "Lucy plays electric guitar. She's a rock star kind of person. She's tough, and not afraid to punch a guy in the gut. But she's caring and nice, sarcastic... that's pretty much it." Kendall recalled. He'd never been asked to describe someone before, especially not on the spot.

Josiah Borg stood up and straightened out his suit. He flipped his notebook shut one final time. "Thank you. I will call you all tomorrow to inform you of our findings." Then he turned around and walked out of the waiting room.

Mrs. Knight turned her attention to the boys. "We better be heading home. It's almost 11:30. There's nothing else we can do for him until tomorrow." She tried to convince the boys, especially Kendall, who she knew would be stubborn.

Kendall tried to resist, but one look at his friends told him that they _should_ probably get some rest. Katie was fast asleep, leaning against Mrs. Knight's purse. Carlos looked like he might fall off his feet from exhaustion. Logan's face was still pale, and he had a haunted look in his eyes, no doubt from seeing James's bleeding body hours ago. His mother's wrinkles looked more distinct than ever. And Kendall himself felt pretty worn out too.

So he relented with a heavy sigh. "Alright. Let's go." He lifted Katie onto his back and led the others to the car. He unlocked the doors, placed Katie into the back seat, and settled into the driver's seat. Logan hopped in beside him, and Mrs. Knight and Carlos settled into the back, Katie in between them.

Kendall started the car, wincing at the loud noise. The car was silent; no one spoke a word. Kendall pulled out of the parking lot, glancing in his rear-view mirror. His mother was staring outside, a worried look wrinkling her face. Katie was still sleeping, her head on his mother's shoulder. Carlos leaned his head against the window, eyes closed.

He then turned his head to look at Logan, who was sitting next to him. "Hey." He got out quietly, not wanting to break the silence but knowing he probably should. Logan looked at him.

"You don't think they'll suspect us, do you?" Logan asked, his voice hoarse and his eyes blood-shot red.

Kendall gulped, a weird feeling in his stomach. "You mean... accuse us of... hurting James?" It sounded abnormal. No, it sounded alien. Never would any of them hurt James. But the detective couldn't, wouldn't know that. He had to consider every option.

Every single option.

Logan just sighed in frustration. "You got to admit, our alibis were a little suspicious. We all came back around the time of James's assault, other than Carlos. Of course we would be a little suspicious." He admitted.

"Yeah, but, we wouldn't do that to James. Why, I mean, how..." Kendall sputtered off, not really knowing how to finish that sentence. It just wasn't right. He would never hurt James. Never. And he knew his friends and family wouldn't either.

"Yeah, I know. But that's their job. That's what they gotta do. I mean, when they find out who actually did this to James, we'll be off the hook." Logan pointed out.

Kendall shook his head. "But what if they don't?" He asked.

Logan shrugged. "I don't really know." He admitted.

The rest of the ride was silent, other than the gentle snores of Katie and Carlos. Mrs. Knight didn't sleep, just stared out the window like she would somehow find something out there. Something that would maybe help find James's assaulter.

When they arrived in the parking lot of the Palm Woods, Kendall turned and reached over to shake Carlos's shoulder. Mrs. Knight stopped him.

"Kendall, sweetie, let him sleep... he was really upset you boys didn't tell him what happened to James." Mrs. Knight told him softly.

Kendall sighed, sharing a glance with Logan. Logan sighed too, turning to stare at Carlos's sleeping form. Logan's shoulders slumped. "He... he's just a kid, Mrs. Knight. How could I have told him that-" His voice cracked, and he looked away.

Kendall put a hand on his shoulder. Mrs. Knight looked on with sympathy. "Logan, honey, you're all just kids." She pointed out softly.

Logan didn't respond for a while, knowing what she said was true. "I... I know. I just can't tell him, not Carlos... He's more of a kid than the rest of us." He spoke softly, tears in his eyes.

Kendall cleared his throat. He hated seeing his friends like this. "Alright, let's go home." Logan carried Katie home while Kendall carried Carlos. No one saw them in the lobby; Mr. Bitters was snoring loudly in his chair. They hurried into the elevator and then into 2J.

Kendall said goodnight to his mother as he brought Carlos into his room. The one he shared with James. He placed the younger boy on his bed, sitting down beside him. Carlos stirred a little, blinking his eyes open. "K-Kendall?"

Kendall looked down. "Hey, buddy. We're home." He stated lamely.

Carlos sniffled. "Kendall? I'm... I'm so scared James isn't gonna be okay." He admitted in a fearful voice. Kendall didn't know how to respond. That was exactly what he was afraid of.

"James is strong, right? He's going to pull through just fine." Kendall finally responded. But it sounded more like he was trying to convince himself more than comfort Carlos.

But Carlos seemed to accept the half-hearted answer. "Can... can you sleep here tonight?" He asked timidly, staring up at his with innocent eyes.

Kendall sighed. "Of course, buddy." Logan probably wanted some time alone, after all. Kendall would too after seeing James like that.

After settling into James's bed and turning off the light, Carlos spoke up. "Kendall?"

"Yeah?"

"What happened to James?"

Kendall froze, glad that Carlos couldn't see him in the dark. "Carlos... can we not talk about that?" He asked softly.

Carlos didn't respond. Kendall thought he had fallen asleep when he spoke up again. "But... but you'll tell me tomorrow, right?" He said it so pitifully that Kendall wanted to say yes. But he knew he couldn't describe those details to Carlos. It already hurt hearing Logan describe them to him.

"I-I'm sorry, Carlos... I can't tell you."

He heard Carlos let out a breath. "But... why?" He asked innocently.

"Carlos, just go to sleep."

"But why can't you tell me?"

Suddenly, a picture of James flashed in his mind. Logan's description had created a vivid image in Kendall's head of what James had looked like in that alley. Bloody and bruised, with his own blood painted on his forehead.

He groaned. "Carlos, just shut up and leave me alone!" He snapped, the image in his head making him want to puke.

He didn't hear from Carlos again after that. He heard the younger boy sniffle and turn his back to Kendall. Kendall sighed. He hated this. He hated all of this.

Why couldn't James just be okay again?

_line line line_

They received the call from Detective Borg the next morning at about 10. Mrs. Knight had picked up the phone.

"Hello?" The three boys and Katie watched her, wishing they could hear what was going on on the other side of the conversation.

But when Mrs. Knight hung up, her face was pale. A little too pale.

Kendall didn't want to ask, but no one else was going to. "What's wrong, mom? What did the detective say?"

Mrs. Knight looked at them, her eyes sad and defeated. "He... the detective said he confirmed our alibis. Katie and I were seen leaving the store, and the time they saw us again entering 2J, it had only been 10 minutes, not enough to assault James." Mrs. Knight's eyes filled with tears.

"So what's wrong? They confirmed you and Katie aren't in on it." Kendall pointed out, not seeing why his mother was so distressed.

Mrs. Knight shook her head. "And Logan... he was seen with Camille at 6:30, just like he said, and he was seen entering 2J at 7:10, and so he couldn't have assaulted James either."

Kendall was worried and relieved at the same time. Both his family and Logan had been confirmed innocent. So what was wrong?

Mrs. Knight looked at Kendall. "But... they said they couldn't confirm where you were from 7 to 8... they can't confirm you didn't assault James."

Kendall felt his heart stop cold. It couldn't be...

They thought that _he_ could have assaulted his best friend.

**A/N- Dun dun dunnnn... Kendall is a suspect. And woah, I updated! It's hasn't been a fast update, I know, but I still updated. **

**Please review and tell me what you guys think of the story... I need to know if I should go on, and the reviews motivate me to update faster!**

**Anyways, James Maslow is on Dancing With The Stars! I'm totally watching that show just for him haha. He's totally going to win too... Carlos totally said Alexa would cook James an awesome breakfast if he won DWTS!**

**Peace, Love, and Giraffes,**

**Anonymous Skrtle**


	3. Awake

**Chapter 3**

Kendall was screaming. But no one heard it.

He stood still, staring off into the distance. They thought _he_ had hurt James. Him, James's best friend. Had hurt him. Had _assaulted _him.

"Kendall, sweetie, these are just theories, it's not like they're going to arrest you. Honey, they're going to dig of tons of suspects... They're suspicious of everyone; it's just what they do." Mrs. Knight tried to assure her devastated son.

Kendall didn't respond, instead turning and walking into his room. He closed the door gently, even though all he felt like doing was slamming it shut.

How could they think he would ever do something to James? Why would they think that? Kendall knew detectives had to question everyone and suspect everyone, but... they didn't know about their friendship. They didn't understand the bond Kendall and James had.

They didn't understand anything.

He buried his face into his pillow and screamed out loud. He screamed and screamed until his throat was raw, until he couldn't scream anymore. And after he'd let out all his anger and frustration, he was overwhelmed with another emotion.

Helplessness.

He didn't know what to do... there was no way he could prove where he was at the time of James's attack. He'd been on a picnic with Jo, and after it ended at about 7:30, he'd taken a short walk around the Palm Woods.

No one could prove he didn't actually attack James at that time and returned home later. And there was no way to prove it.

Kendall just had to hope James could bring his attacker to justice when he woke up.

The doctors said James was still recovering and could be waking up in the next few days. Kendall just hoped people didn't get too suspicious of him until then.

Someone knocked at his door. Kendall sat up, sighing. "Come in." He muttered groggily. The door inched open and Logan peeked in.

"Hey, Kendall. You alright?" He asked softly. Kendall shrugged. Logan came in, ushering behind him for Carlos to follow him. The two boys sat on Logan's bed, staring at Kendall.

"I'm sorry, guys, I'm fine. I just... I was just in shock they would think I did that to James, you know?" Kendall admitted, his voice breaking just a little.

Logan and Carlos nodded sympathetically. "We know it's hard, Kendall, but we know you didn't do it. And innocent people aren't found guilty. They'll find who did this, Kendall, and that person won't be you." Logan assured him firmly.

Kendall nodded. "Thanks, Logan. That really means a lot." He admitted. Things would be okay. James would get better and they could bring his attacker to justice.

But that just left the one question burning in everyone's mind.

Why?

_Line line line_

Logan paced back and forth, back and forth. It was taking forever for Mrs. Knight and Katie to get back from the shopping trip they'd took. The three boys had been waiting for them for 5 minutes, but it felt like forever.

They'd just received the call that James had woken up. And because Mrs. Knight was their guardian, she had to be there for them to see James. Kendall had called his mother, and she said she'd be back in maybe 15 minutes, since there was so much traffic.

Logan glanced at his two other friends. Kendall stood still, biting his fingernails, a habit that he'd had since childhood. Carlos bounced on the heels of his feet, chewing his lip and the insides of his mouth. Logan continued to pace.

After an eternity, the girls returned and they immediately drove to the hospital. Everyone was antsy and nervous to see James.

James would clear Kendall, and Kendall wouldn't be on the suspect list anymore. They arrived at the hospital and pretty much sprinted into the waiting room.

Mrs. Knight signed some papers quickly, and then they were led into James's room.

Logan didn't know what he expected to see; he'd imagined a scene like in a movie, where the victim was covered up in bandages and plastic tubes.

But James looked normal... well, if you ignored the black eye and bruised body. He lay on the hospital bed without any tubes, and seemed to be pretty much breathing normally. Kendall spoke up first.

"Hey, James. We're glad you're okay."

James looked at them, and Logan could almost swear he looked confused. "Is something wrong, James?" Logan asked. Carlos kept silent.

James shook his head a little. "No..." His voice was a little hoarse and rough, but it was James. "But what happened? Why am in here and why do I hurt all over?"

Everyone seemed to freeze at that. Logan went through all the possibilities in his head. James was having a memory loss. James was just confused. James had just woken up and would remember again later. James's mind refused to remember what had happened.

James saw everyone's reactions. "Guys, I swear I didn't lose my memory. I still know you guys, Kendall, Logan, and Carlos. And Mrs. Knight and Katie. I remember everything... just not why I'm here." Everyone was visibly relieved at hearing James didn't have a complete memory loss.

"So what do you last remember?" Logan asked.

James looked up in contemplation. "I... I remember going after Lucy to try to ask her out... was that Friday?" Logan nodded.

"That's good... you remember that." Logan muttered to himself.

James looked at them. "What happened to me?" He inquired desperately.

Mrs. Knight had taken Katie outside a few seconds ago to give the boys some alone time. She knew how close they were, and knew only they would comfort James. Logan and Carlos looked up at Kendall, expecting him to talk. The blonde-haired boy sighed.

"James, this is kind of hard to hear. And hard to say. That night, Friday night, after you'd finished chasing after Lucy... we don't know how or who did it, but somebody attacked you." He looked away a little at that.

"Left you bleeding in the dumpster alley until Logan found you there some time around 7:30." Kendall continued. James widened his eyes, shocked.

"I... somebody attacked me?" He whispered. "I... I don't remember any of that. I just know that I was heading home at 7 and-" Suddenly he froze, his eyes widening even more.

_"Maybe another time, James. I'm not really ready for a relationship, you know?" Lucy pointed out. James sighed._

_ "Alright. Another time. But remember; you will be mine!" James shouted, turning around and marching out of Lucy's apartment. Lucy chuckled behind him._

_ "We can still be friends, James." She called. James huffed and ignored her. He took the elevator down into the lobby, seeing it was starting to get dark._

_ He was heading towards the pool to check if any of his friends (or pretty girls) were there. Suddenly, he felt a large hand clamp over his mouth. _

_ He felt a gun pointed at his head._

James gasped, a small whimper escaping his mouth. "James, James! What's the matter?" He heard Kendall yelling, but all he could think about was the horrible flashback he'd just had.

The worst part was he didn't remember what happened next.

He breathed heavily. His eyes filled with tears. "James, please, calm down. You're scaring us. What's the matter?" Logan. It was Logan. He was in the hospital. He was okay. No one was going to take him.

But someone had taken him. It had happened. He was sure of it.

He panted a little more, beginning to calm down. "I'm sorry..." His voice had become even hoarser. "I... had a flashback." He admitted quietly.

Kendall patted his shoulder. "About what, dude?"

"That night... I remembered getting taken... but nothing after that. Why can't I remember?" James asked no one in particular.

Just then, three men walked into the hospital room. It was Detective Borg, a doctor who had taken care of James, and another man they didn't know. "Sorry to interrupt, boys, but we need to speak to James." Josiah Borg told them.

"Fine. But we get to listen." Kendall retorted stubbornly. It was times like this Logan was glad Kendall was unshakable and headstrong. The detectives glanced at each other.

"Okay. You boys can stay." Detective Borg agreed. He turned to James, getting right down to business. "James. We're glad you're okay and we want you to tell us everything that happened. Or at least, all you know that happened."

James sighed, clearly exhausted by all the questions and thinking. "I don't really remember anything after leaving Lucy's apartment..." He described what he'd seen in his flashback.

The detective glanced at the doctor. "Is there a reason James can't seem to recall the events?" He asked.

The doctor looked through his notes. "Yes... well, we believe to have found some traces of **Benzodiazepines ****in his bloodstream." ****He explained.**

**The boys looked at Logan inquiringly. "****Benzodiazepines ****is an anti-anxiety drug. But what does that have to do with anything?" He asked, clearly puzzled.**

** The doctor looked impressed that Logan knew what ****Benzodiazepines**** were. "****One of the consequences of taking the drug without prescription or when one takes an overdose of it is memory loss. It seems that whoever attacked James drugged him, almost completely erasing his memory." **

James cut in. "I think he was trying to erase all my memory... but I still remember a little."

The detective nodded. "Whoever did this to you... I don't think he wanted you to die. He made sure not to overdose on the drug, but tried to give you enough of it to lose some of your memory."

James didn't respond; he resorted to glancing down at his hands. Logan didn't blame him; he was shocked speechless. Not only did somebody assault James, they'd drugged him to make him forget.

The detective stood up, the other two men following suit. "Alright, James, thanks for telling us what you remember. We'll be investigating this further and we will leave you to rest." The detective thanked James.

James smiled back at them, but it was clear he was exhausted and that telling about his memories make him even more tired.

The boys turned back towards him, sympathy and fear in their eyes. "We'll leave you so you can sleep, James... get better soon, okay?" Kendall told him gently. James nodded.

"Thanks, guys... I don't know how I could have gotten through this without you." James said sincerely. He hugged each one of them and then watched as they left the room.

Kendall turned towards Logan. "Do you think he'll remember anything else?" He asked quietly. Logan shrugged.

"I don't know. Maybe the effects of the drug will wear off and he will. Or maybe he's too traumatized to even want to remember." He admitted.

Carlos, who had been trailing behind them for a while, caught up with them. "So James is too scared to want to remember?" He asked for clarification. Logan wrapped his arm around him and nodded.

Carlos looked down. "Hey, don't worry, James will be okay." Kendall assured him. Carlos shrugged.

"Whatever happened to James must have been... bad, because you guys still won't tell me anything." Carlos replied. Kendall and Logan shared a glance with each other.

Finally Kendall spoke. "All you need to know is that somebody hurt James." He responded curtly. Carlos didn't look satisfied at the answer, but he knew his friends weren't going to tell him anything else. So he didn't ask any more questions and listened as Kendall and Logan discussed James's memory loss.

He didn't really want James to remember, it would be horrible for him... but at the same time, it would help catch whoever did this to him. Carlos's Papi was a police officer; it was in his nature to want to put in jail whoever hurt James.

The boys met up with Mrs. Knight and Katie. The younger girl wasn't crying, but she looked sad enough to start crying. "How... how is he?" Mrs. Knight asked cautiously.

"He doesn't remember... he was drugged." Logan muttered. The girls widened their eyes, but didn't say anything. What was there to say?

"Can we go home now?" Kendall asked his mother. He just hated this. He hated the hospital and he hated whoever hurt James. He just wanted to go home and sleep and never wake up until James got better.

But he couldn't do that. His mom nodded and offered to drive, knowing that Kendall probably didn't want to. Kendall smiled at her gratefully.

The drive home was silent; no doubt everyone was thinking about James.

Would James ever remember?

Or was the killer never to be caught?

**A/N- Hola, slow update, you guys are used to it though... Thanks so much for the reviews last time! Keep them up! I'll try to update 13 Reasons Why and/or With a Little Luck some time. It's Spring Break so maybe I'll have time...**

**And if any of you haven't yet, watch James on Dancing With The Stars! His jive last week was AWESOME! Seriously... WATCH IT!**

**Peace, Love, and Giraffes**

**Anonymous Skrtle **


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